ethnic responsibility

i'm a relative latecomer to 24, just started watching regularly last year. i was definitely looking forward to this year's premiere, especially considering kal penn was part of the show. as excited as i was to see him in the first hour, pretty soon my enthusiasm turned into sadness when i realized he was a terrorist in the show. then last night, he played a rapist on law & order. now, i know he's just trying to get his serious acting chops out there, and i don't even think he's a top offender, but it made me think of actors who take jobs that portray their ethnic/racial identities in negative stereotypes. i started thinking about this during the united 93 movie - where some actors were given grief for portraying the terrorists that took the flight hostage. it's an interesting dilemma and i can understand both sides of the argument - reinforcing those images vs. getting work and hoping to lessen those stereotypes eventually. anyways, just something i was thinking about as i watched my beloved kumar do serious damage instead of just smoking it up and riding a wild cheetah!